Reviews

Staff Review

A Spy's Life

By Porter, Henry

Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
Jun 3, 2014

This is a very well-written thriller!  The action starts when a plane goes down and Robert Harland, the only survivor, hears a cell phone ringing in the East River.  He wades to the sound and finds his old friend from the CIA dead. Harland uses the phone and takes his friend's wallet, which just happens to contain some discs, for his widow.  Robert Harland is a former British spy, now working for the UN.  The explanation for the crash does not ring true to him and he suspects sabotage. But why?

Staff Review

The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection

By Sony Computer Entertainment

Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
May 31, 2014

If you've played the original PS2 versions of both of these games, then the PS3 upgrade doesn't make that much difference.  Sure, the games are prettier in HD, and the textures are gorgeous to behold (and if that's your thing, then I'm hardly going to discourage you!), but the glory of these games lies in the content, not the resolution.  If you've never played either of these, then this is a perfect opportunity for you.

Staff Review

Parker Millsap

By Parker Millsap
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Sarah As
May 30, 2014

If you haven’t yet heard of Parker Millsap, and are a fan of folk music,  I'll bet that in the near future you will. I have pretty much been listening nonstop to this 21 year olds debut album, titled Parker Millsap.

Staff Review

City of Thieves

By David Benioff

Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
May 27, 2014

City of Thieves is one of those books recommended to me time and again, and I always think, "Oh yes, I must read this," and then I never get around to it.  But after stumbling across the audio version and seeing that it was narrated by Ron Perlman, I knew I couldn't delay any longer.  I'm so glad I didn't.  City starts with Lev, our hero, discovering a dead German paratrooper frozen on the streets of Leningrad.  The year is 1941 and the Russians are under siege from the Nazis, starving and freezing to death in bitterly large numbers.

Staff Review

Orphan Black, Season One

By BBC America
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Josh N.
May 27, 2014

The BBC America series Orphan Black is about...well, it's difficult to say what it's about without giving away spoilers. The first episode opens with a young, streetwise grifter named Sarah arriving at a train station, where she witnesses another woman folding her clothes carefully on the platform and taking off her shoes. The woman turns, looks at Sarah...and Sarah sees her own face looking back at her. Then the identical woman walks in front of an oncoming train to her death.

Staff Review

The Goblin Emperor

By Katherine Addison
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Jared H.
May 27, 2014

No one thought the exiled half-goblin son of the emperor would ever inherit the throne. Not even Maia himself. But when his father and three brothers are killed in an airship crash (which may not have been an accident), Maia is thrust into an environment for which he is ill prepared. With no friends nor allies to guide him, the new emperor struggles to find supporters amidst those who would see him deposed, or worse dead...

Teen Review

Saints

By Gene Luen Yang
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by Kate M.
May 23, 2014

Four Girl is unwanted and unloved by her family. Seen as a demon-child, her family practically gives her up as a lost cause. Four girl, searching for acceptance discovers catholic missionaries near her small Chinese village. After one exceptionally harsh experience with her grandfather, Four runs into the forest and sees a vision of Jeanne D'Arc. As Four distances herself from her family, and grows closer to the missionaries visions of Jeanne come more often, offering peace and guidance.

Staff Review

Broken Harbor

By Tana French
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Megan C.
May 21, 2014

In a spotless suburban home in Ireland, a man and two children are found dead, and a badly-wounded woman is rushed to the hospital. They are residents of Broken Harbor, a nearly-abandoned new development left in the lurch after the housing crisis. This is how Detective Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy finds the Spain family, and has his chance to be top detective on the murder squad. In addition to taking on the biggest case of the year, he has a rookie, Richie Curran, to break in.

Staff Review

Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail

By Malika Oufkir
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by Megan C.
May 21, 2014

This memoir recounts the story of Malika Oufkir, whose father was the closest aide to the King of Morocco. We follow Malika from the age of five, as she is raised in the palace as the princess’ companion. While life in the harem is a kind of imprisonment itself, it is nothing compared to what awaits her, her mother, and her siblings after her father is executed for an attempt to assassinate the King.